Fall Orientation Week

Issue No. 4 Texas A&M University Army ROTC School Year 2021-2022 Fall 2021 Texas A&M Army ROTC Spence Park, Texas A&M University

Talent Based Branching

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - On Thursday, 2 September 2021, two days after the start of the Fall Semester, over 400 Army ROTC cadets from freshman to senior attended the first-ever Branch Day hosted by Cadre and staff assigned to 1st Brigade, U.S. Army Cadet Command with the support of III Corps at Fort Hood, U.S. Army Reserve, and Texas Army National Guard Soldiers bringing together a pool of experts representing the Combat Arms, Combat Support, and Combat Services Support branches that provide valuable information to the Cadets.

In support of the Army’s People First philosophy, the Army is undertaking the most comprehensive reform of personnel management since the Officer Personnel Act of 1947. The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act granted several new authorities that provide the Army flexibility to determine the characteristics of a future talent-based system.

Army ROTC Cadets are not exempt from this reform. As a matter of fact, they are at the very front end of this reform. Beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 or October 1st, 2020, the U.S. Army Cadet Command had implemented a new system to branch Cadets from its 274 ROTC programs across the country under the new system titled Talent Based Branching. With 17 different branches available for Army Cadets to compete, Cadets must begin building their branching resume in the Talent Based Branching system on the first day of ROTC. So, without the knowledge of the branches, Cadets would have a tough time building that resume. Under the leadership of U.S. Army Colonel Blakeslee A. Connors, Professor of Military Science at Texas A&M Army ROTC Battalion, Branch Day was created to ensure Army Cadets getting early exposure and knowledge of the various branches within the Army.

On Spence Park, four large white festival tents erected along with several other canopies served as the venues for branch representatives to inform and educate Aggie Cadets. Colonel Clint E. Tracy, Chief of Army Cyber, Electro Magnetic Activities (CEMA) from III Corps provided introductory information on Cyber capabilities to the Cadets. Meanwhile, 1st Lieutenant Dylan Ynclan, Military Intelligence (MI) officer of 504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, a former student of Texas A&M shared his MI experiences with a group of Cadets. Concurrently, Texas Army National Guard Captain Alcantra demonstrated the MK19 grenade launcher along with two up-armored HUMVEEs to an interested freshman cadets. In addition, members of the 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), a Security force assistance brigade of the United States Army based in Fort Hood, TX provided great details on various branches that made up the SFAB and its capabilities.

During the beginning of their senior year, MS IV Cadets must rank their preferences from one to 17. Prior to the accession process, all Army Cadets across the nation are ranked in the national Order of Merit List (OML) based on many factors to include Academic achievements, physical fitness, Advanced Camp performance, leadership involvement with Ranger Challenge or the Color Guard. At Texas A&M, the leadership opportunities extended to their leadership roles within the Corps of Cadets, Rudder’s Rangers, and the Warrior Training Battalion.

Issue No. 4 Texas A&M University Army ROTC School Year 2021-2022 Fall 2021Army Branch Day September 3, 2021